Ohio State vs. No. 14 Illinois: Week 7 Game Outlook, History Lesson, and Prediction

I have been super-busy this week at home and in the Pharmacy, but fear-not my loyal BlockONation posse', for here is this weeks feature (well, part of it anyway).

The rest should be finished sometime Friday evening/night.

I at least wanted to post the History and Trends ASAP as I know many of my blog and Twitter followers look forward to that section immensely!

Chew on this for now gang -- the rest will be updated with links posted on Twitter and Facebook tonight when it's 100% done -- thanks!



OSU/Ill—A Few Opening Thoughts...

Gameplan: You play, to win, the game...


Brief Game Outlook / Players of Note

Three yards and a cloud of dust.

O-line, Boom Herron, Jordan Hall


Ohio State—Illinois History Lesson And Trends

• Ohio State last lost to Illinois in Champaign in 1991.

• Ohio State is 114-64-8 all-time in October road games.

• Ohio State is 34-17 vs. opponents ranked in the top 25 since 2001.

• Ohio State is 0-2 in the Big Ten for just the second time since 1993.

• Ohio State is 62-30-4 overall vs. Illinois and 33-12 all-time in Champaign.

• Ohio State defense has held opponent to fewer than 10 points 30 times since 2006.

• Ohio State defense has allowed just seven 100-yard rushers in their last 40 games.

• Ohio State has held 65 of 79 opponents to 21 points or less since the start of the 2005 season.

• Ohio State has won 5 of the last 6 overall meetings, and has won 8 games in a row on the road vs. Illinois.

• Since 1990, the visiting team is 14-5 in the OSU-ILL series.

• Illinois is just 1-5 against Ohio State under coach Ron Zook.

•.Illinois is 18-32 vs. Big Ten opponents since 2005 under Zook.

• Illinois has 1,357 rushing yards through 6 games while holding opponents to just 478 yards rushing.

• Illinois, is 9-4-1 vs. Ohio State and have won the last 5 meetings against OSU when ranked in the AP top 25.

• Illinois is 6-0 for the first time since 1951, when it finished 9-0-1 to earn a share of the national championship.

• Illinois has won 7 games in row dating back to 2010, their longest winning streak since the 2001 season -- The last time an Illinois team won 8 games in a row was 1983.


Final Thoughts and Score Prediction

Low scoring, defensive battle was expected, and that's exactly what happened.

Pre-game prediction would have been:

Ohio State 23
Illinois 16

For the record, BlockONation guaranteed an Ohio State win over Illinois via Twitter at 11:13AM Saturday morning -- more than 4 hours before the game...


"To be a champion, you have to believe in yourself when no one else will" - Sugar Ray Robinson

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Big Ten Unveils New Logo, Division Names

So, the Big Ten unveiled its' new logo today that will go into effect starting in 2011 when Nebraska moves in from the Big 12.



Notice how easy it can go from B1G Ten to B16 Ten, leaving the door open for future expansion without another major logo overhaul?

The new divisions will be called Legends and Leaders.


Legends Division

Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Mich St, Minn, Northwestern


Leaders Division

Ohio State, Penn St, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue


A few fans who really are not happy with the changes (the logo and especially the division names) have had a reaction similar to this:




Trophy Names

The Stagg-Paterno Trophy will go to the Big Ten title game winner.

The Grange-Griffen Trophy will go to the title game MVP.

There are 18 new trophies total, and you can view all of them over on the Big Ten Network's website.

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So, what does everyone else think?

The trophy names are actually pretty cool, and the logo is OK, but I'm not sure the division names are all that great...

Then again, I do like that they didn't just cop-out and call them East-West, or North-South.

However, if they truly wanted the division names to reflect on the history of the conference and the teams of yesteryear that used to be good, along with the future of the conference and the teams that are good now and going forward, then the LEGENDS Division should have been Michigan, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, & Purdue and the LEADERS Division should have been Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa, Michigan State, & Northwestern.



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Florida, Ole Miss Prove Southeastern Conference Greatness is Exaggerated

For more than three quarters earlier today, Miami (Ohio) outplayed a sloppy Florida Gators team in the swamp. The Gators had less than 50 total yards on offense in the third quarter before finally waking up in the fourth.

Both teams finished with 212 total yards. In the end, UF won the game 34-12 despite their horrible showing. Lucky for them they weren't playing a team that had more than one win in 2009.

New quarterback John Brantley was overwhelmingly unimpressive and it was apparent that UF has virtually no weapons at wide receiver.

Even worse for SEC-ville was the embarrassing performance of the Ole Miss Rebels against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks of FCS fame.

Junior Marques Ivory and true freshmen quarterback Coty Blanchard outplayed both Nathan Stanley and Jeremiah Masoli as they combined to lead the Gamecocks to the huge win in double overtime.

Ivory tossed the first touchdown pass, a seven-yard score to Alan Bonner to put the Gamecocks ahead 41-34.

Brandon Bolden tied the game at 41 with a two yard touchdown run, then Ole Miss took the lead in the second overtime on a two yard touchdown run by Enrique Davis.

That's when the magic happened. Blanchard scrambling for his life, hit Kevyn Cooper in the back of the end zone for the 30 yard touchdown on 4th down and 15 from the 30 yard line.

After calling timeout, Jacksonville State decided to avoid a third overtime and go for the win.

On a bootleg right and just as he was nearly caught for a dream-crushing sack, Blanchard found his man at the goal line for the conversion, and the win.

Surely SEC fans who read this are going to post comments chock full of excuses and saying that Ole Miss sucks anyway, etc, etc.

Here's the problem with that just so you all know ahead of time.

You all claim each others wins and BCS titles as a conference so by God, you're going to own this loss by Ole Miss as a conference just the same.

P.S. There goes that whole "The SEC is the best conference top to bottom in the country" crap...


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Images Copyright of ESPN & the AP / Rogelio V. Solis

College Football 2009: How the North Conquered the South Once Again

Written By BT
BleacherReport.com Senior College Football Writer / Featured Columnist


The War Between the States, also known as the Civil War or the War of Northern Aggression, has been over for 145 years.

Still, there are those in both geographic areas who continue to follow the adventures of only schools in a specific state, conference, or region.

Fans do take issue with teams across the state or throughout conference affiliation, but any criticism of league or region brethren is often met with resistance.

Less than two weeks ago a friendly discussion erupted among several Bleacher Report writers concerning the projected outcome of the Miami-Wisconsin bowl game.

Ohio State and Penn State fans rose to champion the Badger cause and a long time Florida State supporter rose in defense of the Hurricanes.

The conversation ended with each side claiming the other doesn't understand the skill and coaching ability available in the region they live in.

Fascinating to read, but what causes this sudden "Mother Hen" feeling during the bowl season? During the year no Buckeye or Nittany Lion fan would bother to speak on behalf of the Badgers, and no Seminole fan would ever rise up in defense of Miami.

Could it be that all too often the Bowls pit the "North" versus the "South"? Thus generating a territorial conflict among supposedly separate allegiances?

Perhaps that is the intent of the match-makers when they schedule so many intersectional battles with the conference tie-ins to a specific bowl game.

Southern football fans are an interesting lot. Many feel it is their duty to support the teams of their region against opponents from other areas.

For those unfamiliar with the terms being used, let's explain that "the South" is the 11 states of the old Confederacy stretching from Texas to Virginia.

In addition, since Maryland and Kentucky are below the Mason-Dixon line, they account for the remainder of the region.

The South is a multi-BCS conference region with a dozen teams from the SEC, 11 of the 12 in the ACC, four of the Big 12, and two from the Big East in the form of USF and Louisville.

Those are 29 BCS programs to choose from, not to mention the two in the BCS Title Game.

Add to this several teams from the Sun Belt, Conference USA, Mountain West(TCU), and WAC (Louisiana Tech), and the Southland is well represented in the pigskin market.

It seems Southerners do not consider Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, or Tulsa as "northern". In fact, no one seems to know what to call them.

So, how well did this avalanche of southern schools perform in the 34 bowls?

In six bowls both teams were from the south so they do not factor in this equation. These clashes include the BCS Title Game along with the Independence Bowl, Music City Bowl, Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, Liberty Bowl, and the New Orleans Bowl.

The Cotton Bowl found Ole Miss beating Oklahoma State, the Sun Bowl provided the opportunity for Oklahoma to defeat Stanford. As stated earlier, there is really no logical way to approach the Oklahoma teams, so let us put them aside for the time being.

In all, 15 Bowl games matched southern teams directly against those from outside the South. The following is a specific listing of those bowl games, along with the outcome.


Bowls Won by the South

Gator—Florida State over West Virginia

Alamo —Texas Tech over Michigan State

Sugar—Florida over Cincinnati

Outback—Auburn over Northwestern

Hawaii—Southern Methodist over Nevada

International—South Florida over Northern Illinois


Bowls Won by the North

Papa John—Connecticut over South Carolina

Capital—Penn State over LSU

Champ—Wisconsin over Miami

Orange—Iowa over Georgia Tech

Fiesta—Boise State over Texas Christian

Meineke—Pittsburgh over NC

St. Petersburg—Rutgers over Central Florida

Armed Forces—The Air Force Academy over Houston

GMAC—Central Michigan over Troy


That is a 9-6 win for the North over the South.

A case could be made for Ole Miss in some corners but, that would certainly require dismissing the Oklahoma win.

The best the South can come out of this scenario is a wash for the Cotton and a win in the Sun or eliminate Oklahoma and count Ole Miss as a win.

Nine to six or nine to seven, the South loses again.

You don't believe we had the wrong teams in the BCS Title Game, do you?

Looking Back—Michigan Football 2008

Written by HD Handshoe
Founder—BlockONation


Who doesn't love a wonderful trip down Memory Lane?

Well, a Michigan fan for one, when the walk leads them back to reliving the nightmare that was their 2008, three win, nine loss season.

Yes, you did have three glorious wins a year ago (Miami (OH), Wisconsin, and Minnesota), but what fun would it be for me to revisit those?

Exactly right—none.

So, that being said, I'm a Buckeye fan and this is a Buckeye site, so allow me to lead the choir as we rejoice in the pain and suffering that was 2008 Michigan football.




Yes, Utah ended their great 2008 season at 13-0 and beat former No. 1 Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl.

But that doesn't change the fact that before this game, UM fans were predicting that their Wolverines would win in a rout.

Whoops...




Notre Dame barely qualified for a bowl game and they lost to lowly Syracuse.

There was also lots of talk about Charlie Weis being fired before, during, and after the season, yet they still dominated the Wolverines 35-17.




Illinois took a few steps back in 2008, losing a total of five games, including losses to Minnesota, Wisconsin and National Powerhouse Western Michigan.

That didn't stop them from taking UM to the woodshed in Ann Arbor.

Juice Williams had a career day vs. the marshmallow Michigan "D".




Another home game—another huge home loss, this time to MAC doormat Toledo.

Prior to this embarrassing loss, UM had a perfect 24-0 record vs. the MAC. If there is a silver lining, at least the Rockets are technically a DI / FCS team, but this still put another black-eye on the Big Ten, courtesy of the Wolverines.

Oh wait, the Big Ten's national perception is all the fault of the Buckeyes for losing to top five teams.

My bad...




This game featured Michigan's finest half of football all year as they actually led the Nittany Lions 17-14 at halftime.

That short-lived lead quickly evaporated as this game truly was a tale of two halves.

Penn State took over the game and ultimately crushed UM, 46-17.




Many Michigan fans will tell you that Michigan State, not Ohio State, is their true and most hated rival because they are from the same state.

If that is indeed true (which it's not), then the 35-21 defeat to your "biggest rival" must still sting, huh?




At least this was a road loss, but still, an epic fail. Purdue was worse than Michigan was last year. I mean, c'mon. No matter how you slice it, they are still Purdue.

I know that some UM fans are sure to fire back that Ohio State almost lost to Purdue. Really, because last I checked, the final was 16-3. Ohio State.

Certainly it was far from a great performance by the Buckeyes offensively, but Purdue scored three points and gained less than 300 yards, while against UM, they scored 48 points and gained over 500 yards. Not to mention this was UM's fifth straight loss




The home field at Michigan Stadium wasn't all too kind to UM last year.

Northwestern came to town and while they didn't blow Michigan away, they pulled away in the second half, holding Michigan scoreless.

The Wildcats left Ann Arbor with a 21-14 win in the Big House.

Even in a down year for UM, Pat Fitzgerald still loved adding that to his resume.

I mean, you are still Michigan,........aren't you?




What can I say that hasn't already been said? The Bucks currently own UM, period. I will give Michigan credit for hanging in there in the first half of this game, as they only trailed 14-7.

But then, much like the Penn State game, the Buckeyes unloaded on UM in the second half and the wheels came off en route to their fifth straight loss to the Buckeyes and their seventh in eight years to Jim Tressel.

2001—Ohio State 26, UM 20
2002—Ohio State 14, UM 9
2003—UM 35, Ohio State 21
2004—Ohio State 37, UM 21
2005—Ohio State 25, UM 21
2006—Ohio State 42, UM 39
2007—Ohio State 14, UM 3
2008—Ohio State 42, UM 7

I know UM fans want to believe that they will beat Ohio State again, sooner than later, but I honestly just can't see it before 2012 or 2013.

I can't wait for the hate!


Here's a couple pre-2008 oldies, but goodies!
Who says you can't kick them when they're down?







Sorry UM fans but I already stuck the knife in. I may as well give it a twist while I'm at it for good measure.

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Hopefully you enjoyed this flashback.

If you didn't, you're most likely a thin-skinned UM supporter who must have forgotten about the 2-10-1 "John Cooper for UM MVP" years.

I must admit, I have very little no sympathy for you.



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Buckeye Banter | From 12 to 1—Breaking Down the 2009 Ohio State Schedule

by Kristofer Green
BlockONation Columnist



The Ohio State football team is still about 100 days from taking the field, but it is never too early to take a hard look at the Buckeyes schedule.

Instead of just listing the games and giving generic team descriptions I have ranked the Buckeye's opponents from the easiest game to the toughest.


12. New Mexico State (Oct. 31)

With the Hal Mumme era over, the addition of new head coach DeWayne Walker has brought a new attitude and a feeling that things may finally change, but the Aggies are still light years away from competing for the WAC title.

The team will go from trying to out-bomb everyone to trying to win with defense and a strong running game. Sound familiar Buckeye fans? Walker could see some success in time, but on Halloween the Aggies will have a very difficult time trying to beat the Buckeyes at their own game.


11. at Indiana (Oct. 3)

When Indiana still had Kellen Lewis—its most dynamic player—the Hoosiers were still considered by many to be the 11th best team in the Big Ten. Now that coach Bill Lynch has dismissed Lewis from the team, Indiana's doormat status seems to be all but confirmed.

The Buckeyes will make their first trip to Bloomington in several years and will almost certainly build on their current win streak against the Hoosiers. In the Jim Tressel era alone the Buckeyes are 6-0 against Indiana and have outscored the Hoosiers 221-57.


10. Toledo at Cleveland Browns Stadium (Sept. 19)

The Rockets have as much talent as any team in the MAC (including Central Michigan) and they have experience with returning starters at nearly every position. It will be up to new head coach Tim Beckman to get the talent to perform on a consistent basis, something former coach Tom Amstutz couldn't do.

Toledo will run an up-tempo spread offense that could prove to be difficult for the Buckeyes to get a handle on. But for all Toledo's talent, the Buckeyes have more and no other Ohio team has beaten the Buckeyes for nearly 100 years.


9. Navy (Sept. 5)

Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo not only has best name in coaching but the Midshipmen boasted the best rushing offense in the country the last two seasons. The Buckeyes rush defense slipped last season (to 18th nationally) and will be tested early and often by the Midshipmen.

The last time the two teams met was in the 1981 Liberty Bowl where the Buckeyes held on for a 31-28 win. I suspect the Buckeyes will feed off the energy of an opening day crowd of 105,000 rabid Buckeye fans who just waited 8 long months to see their team win.


8. Wisconsin (Oct. 10)

The Badgers might be tremendously flawed and if they played like they did last season they can be beaten by anyone, but the Buckeyes and the Badgers always seem to be in close battles.

Bret Bielema gets seven starters back on offense, while the defense returns three starters in the secondary, but the Badgers have huge question marks at quarterback and on the lines.


7. at Purdue (Oct. 17)

Purdue is in a state of change. The Boilermakers must replace eight starters from an offense that didn't really do anything anyway. First year coach Danny Hope must incorporate his first recruiting class into an offense that lacks experience and depth.

But, the Purdue proved last season in Columbus that they could keep it interesting with defense. The bad news for Buckeye fans is that the Boilermakers return the entire secondary from a defense that held the Buckeyes without a touchdown in last season's meeting.


6. Minnesota (Oct. 24)

Everyone is back for coach Tim Brewster including QB Adam Weber, WR Eric Decker, and eight others on offense, as well as, nine starters on defense. The thing is the running game has become non-existent.

There was a time when Minnesota had one of the nation's most feared ground attacks, but injuries, a change in offense, and the lack of a steady back have dropped the Gophers to last in the Big Ten in rushing offense. While Weber and the passing game will be fine, there is a ceiling on what the team can do without an improved run game.


5. at Michigan (Nov. 21)

Let's face facts Buckeye fans, the winning streak is eventually going to come to an end. The Wolverines are young, but so are the Buckeyes. The Rich Rodriguez era got off to a bumpy start, but things are starting to smooth out a bit for the embattled coach. This season could be as good a time as any.

If this game was earlier in the season I would feel more secure about the Buckeyes getting their sixth straight victory, but as it stands, late November in the Big House is never easy.


4. Illinois (Sept. 26)

The Illini have as much talent at the skill positions as anyone in the conference. Juice Williams has matured into an efficient passer and a pretty good all-around playmaker and he has all his key parts back.

The knock on Ron Zook's team has been consistency and starting fast. Illinois has played the Buckeyes tough the last few seasons and has all the parts in place to challenge the Buckeyes again in the 'Shoe. Will Zook be able to get his players to perform?


3. Iowa (Nov. 14)

The offensive line that was so strong last season loses guard Seth Olsen and center Rob Bruggeman, but the tackles are back along with emerging quarterback Ricky Stanzi and top receiver Darrell Johnson-Koulianos.

Replacing Shonn Greene will be difficult, but Jewel Hampton looks to fill in and should give the Hawkeyes enough of a threat to keep defenses honest.

Iowa is aiming for their first Big Ten championship since the 2002 season and by mid-November the Hawkeyes should be clicking on all cylinders. The Buckeyes will have to be on their "A" game for this one.


2. at Penn State (Nov. 7)

Darryl Clark had a great 2008, but he wasn't able to come through in the fourth quarter against Iowa and wasn't on the field for the key final drive in the win over the Buckeyes last season. Motivation for 2009?

Clark was ultra-efficient last season, but will need an even more spectacular year in 2009 when he will work behind a retooled line and have new receivers all over the field.

That being said, Beaver Stadium is one of the toughest stadiums to play in and the Penn State faithful will surely be revved up for this one.

Not to mention the fact that Sean Lee returns from his knee injury to join Josh Hull and Navarro Bowman, forming one of the nation's best linebacking corps, while the offensive backfield of Clark, Evan Royster, and Stephon Green is scary good.


1. Southern California (Sept. 12)

USC coach Pete Carroll has practically written the book about how to compete for championships in this age of parity. In fact he has. His new book, Win Forever, is coming out soon.

Still, every year fans and pundits alike wrack their brains trying to figure out how the Trojans will replace the number of stars it loses to the NFL. It can't be fun losing a Rey Maualuga or Mark Sanchez every year, but Pete Carroll always has players waiting in the wings and 2009 will be no different.

The Trojans are hardly starting from scratch. Eight starters will be missing from one of the nations top defensive units, but that only means the guys who thought they should have been starters—and are good enough to be starters at most other schools—will get their chance to break into the starting lineup.

The secondary is unbelievable, while defensive end Everson Griffen is almost unstoppable and offensively the Trojans return the entire line and a stable of running backs that are arguably the best in the nation.

USC returns enough experience to scare anyone and the Buckeyes will need to be more prepared than they were last season if they hope for a different outcome.

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